The CD has become the format of choice for hard copy music distribution. The CD displaced the record, vinyl records and the audio cassette as the dominant form of listening to recorded music.

The CD Changer All you have to do is to load all the CD's you want to listen to. One after another it will play your CD's as many times as you want. The order of selection of CDs will be done randomly or automatically depending on which button you press.

CD changers are great for those long drives especially for those who insist on having music on the preferred format. That said, mp3 compatibility has taken CD changer functionality to another level.

If burning hundreds of mp3 files downloaded from the internet onto a disc is your thing, mp3 compatible changers will give you weeks of play time without repeating a song (A disc can hold up ten hours worth of music in mp3 format).

Note this, there are CD changers that are designed to work with your factory installed radios and there are those that are made for your aftermarket radio. So do check before you buy your next CD changer.

Factory fitted CD changers are Available for all models (Alfa Romeo to VW) and allows you to retain the integrated look and functionality of your dash and standard car radio.

Aftermarket CD Changers: All leading brands are available (Alpine to VDO Dayton) in good online stores. They are ideal if you have changed your car radio or have a branded or aftermarket radio fitted.

Following are a few the CD changers in the market...

1) Denon CD Changer

This is a CD player you really need to check out. This is Denon's latest generation. It is a 5-disc CD changer featuring Burr Brown 20-bit AD converters and HDCD decoding. Other features like MP3/CD and CD-R/RW compatibility, clockwise and counterclockwise tray rotation, and an incredible signal-to-noise make it a great changer.

2) Sony CD Changer with SACD

The five-disc CD - SACD changer supports features such as, SACD/CD/CDR/CDRW playback, SACD/CD Text compatibility, remote control, optical output for CD, and 5.1 channel analog output for multi-channel SACD.

3) JVC CD Changer

It is an excellent, but reasonably priced, 5-Disc Carousel CD changer from JVC. It uses unique 1-bit error correction technology; this changer not only sounds great, but overcomes scratches and minor CD defects that can plague other players. You can also change four CDs while one is playing.

4) Pioneer CD Changer

Pioneer is known for their "magazine" style car CD changers and has incorporated this design into the PD-M426 home 6-disc home CD changer. In fact, it enables you to buy the additional CD "magazine" cartridges to organize your CD library to play both in a Pioneer car CD changer or the M426 without taking the discs out of the magazine.

There are other great brands. Just know what you're looking for and you can't go wrong.

Who doesn't just love getting into their car, cranking up the stereo, and screaming their favorite lyrics till their vocal chords bleed. We all do it. Doesn't matter, if it's a long or short drive. Even the most mild mannered of us enjoy the simple pleasure of a solo drive with your favorite tunes washing over you in your own car audio disco. In this world of constant and increasing responsibilities, information overload, bad news, and disappointment, we all need a place to escape for just a little bit. Even if I'm really just taking a mundane drive to pick up some groceries, I can be my favorite rock star till I get there. With the car stereo turned up nice and loud, I can sing at the top of my lungs, and don't actually have to hear my voice. Which of course is a good thing, as my voice isn't really meant for human consumption. Plus, it would just spoil the whole "suspension of disbelief" thing. Besides, some music just sounds better loud, through a great car audio stereo unit, backed up by great car audio speakers.

Steering Wheel By Buddy Rich

Of course, every good song blasting through the car speakers needs a good drummer. And hey I have some experience here. I was a bit of a rock star drummer during my formative years. And obviously, since I am responsible for driving the car while rocking out to the old car audio, I can't very well fit a drum kit between me and the steering wheel. Heaven forbid I get into an accident with the neighbors cat, and that crazy air bag goes off. Not a pretty picture in my brain. However, most steering wheels will substitute as a drum kit anyway. 10 and 2 o'clock on the steering wheel provide positions for both a ride and crash cymbal. The middle supporting piece makes for a great snare and tom-tom, while 4 thru 8 o'clock are my favorite position for roto-tom runs. And of course, in a pinch, the dashboard is close enough to substitute for a rockin' cowbell, or any other ancillary percussion instruments your favorite song may require.

Car Guitar Fools

While no good car audio band would be complete without some excellent guitar players, I must profess to having little talent in this area. This may be a time when it becomes necessary to have other passengers. Preferably very young or otherwise uninhibited passengers, as most reasonably minded adults look totally silly playing air guitar on their seat belt. In my mind air guitar makes anyone look like a damn fool, no matter how cool they really are. Seat belt air guitar, is even worse. I however am fortunate enough to have one such young passenger, who has no problem "air guitairing" her seat belt, with the car audio cranking. Her specialty is of course "We Are The Champions".

You've heard the booming bass as a car travels down the road. To capture this sound quality yourself, you need to construct a quality amp rack that brings the best of sound quality to your car. Usually an amp rack system begins in the trunk. This depends on the vehicle you drive, however. One man's trunk can be another man's truck bed. In some vehicles, the trunk is too minimal to even bother. You must choose a location that protects the components from outside elements while also allowing space for the system you desire.

A panel that can old all of the speaker components is placed in the a large enough space to allows the amplifiers, woofers, and other speaker systems to attach to this unit. Most people use an amp rack because it looks good. Sometimes, appearance does count. Custom upholstery and a variety of other features can turn an average amp rack into an awe inspiring artistic creation. In fact, there are car competitions for those with the prettiest amp rack.

If you have built a solid amp rack, you will find that the instillation is simple. It is all a matter of sliding the speaker components into place, wiring them up, and then hooking it all up to your stereo system. Leave a small opening in the back in case you have to rewire speakers or replace blown fuses. Make sure the openings are small, as appearance can make or break the value of your sound system. If you ever opt to resell, you can make plenty of money by having a solid and artistic amp rack.

Size does matter. You would be foolish to build an amp rack that is larger than your card can fit. Imagine purchasing all the components only to discover they will not fit. Measure repeatedly to ensure that your dream amp rack will work in the available space. Choose components that can fit into the space you have available. Also keep in mind the fact that you will most likely want to upgrade components over time.

Placement is everything. In a van, your sound system has plenty of room for growth. Average drivers do not have vans, though. For this reason, many drivers need to find a suitable location. Sedans are probably best equipped with the amp rack in the trunk. Corvettes, Trans Ams, GTOs, and Firebirds often have designated locations for an amp rack. In a truck, the amp rack should be placed in the narrow space behind the truck bench. In other trucks, you may need to place it beneath the seats. Given weather conditions, you should never place the amp rack in your truck bed. Hatchbacks can be trickier, but most can still house a wonderful system.

Installing car amplifiers is challenging. You have to make sure the amplifier gets enough air circulation to keep from overheating while enclosing it in a way that prevents theft. Satisfying these needs doesn't always yield the best looking results. But, you can still show off your personal style when installing your amplifier with these simple suggestions.

Picture how you want the amp to look. Are you thinking "high tech" with a concealed panel? Or, are you going for a more industrial look with visible cables? Paint it; Wrap it in leather, carpet, or vinyl. Use your imagination and your rack design will show your style.

Airflow is a major consideration when installing an amplifier. The electronics in the amplifier produce a lot of heat when you crank up volume, and heat can damage the components. Ample airflow is essential for good performance and reliability and two ways to accomplish this are convection and forced-air systems.

The simplest cooling method is convection. It's simple because most car amplifiers come with convection cooling already built in. Convection occurs when the warm air inside the amplifier rises and dissipates through the fins of the aluminum heat sink. Warm air is replaced by cooler air drawn from below creating a continuous circulation of cool air that prevents the amp from overheating. Convection cooling works fine as long as the air circulates. The ideal would be to install the rack on a vertical surface in an open space with the fins vertically aligned.

A forced air system has triple the cooling capacity of a simple convection system. Simply adding an electric fan to increase airflow over the amplifier's heat sinks makes a big difference. That's one reason why high power amplifiers have thermostats; thermostats control the fans. If your rack holds multiple convection cooled amplifiers, it's worth it to install multiple fans. The cooler the amps, the longer they'll last. Running power for a fan is just a matter of connecting with the source unit's remote turn on lead since most accessory fans run on 12v DC. When the system turns on, the fans start up along with the other components on that circuit.

Now that you've got this great amplifier you want to show it off, but, how do you keep it from being stolen? If you can see the rack from the outside, you could be tempting fate. Consider one of the following options to prevent someone from stealing your equipment.

1.Make it detachable by fastening the amp rack with wing nuts. If the amplifier takes up cargo space, being able to take it out of the vehicle is an asset. However, removing the rack every time you park your car can be a hassle.

2.Create a removable secret panel to conceal the rack. The cover can be made of anything from fabric to fiberboard.

3.Install a good security system.

Use all three deterrents for the ultimate protection. Detachability provides extra security and additional cargo space when necessary. A removable panel is convenient. And, finally, a security system provides the last defense. You put a lot of effort into this project. Protect your work in style.

Alpine's MRD-M605 is a big one for those of us who like the seismic reveberation of subs. It has impressive features that, unfortunately, are not usually written in English. Here, I'll do my utmost to translate their tech-speak to everyday English. I guess this would help you decide if it is what you really want or need.

Major features and what they mean in everyday English...

The MRD-M605 is a V12 AccuClass-D Mono Amplifier. The class D in the amplifier classification tells you that it is a highly efficient amp. It gives high output per input. That is, it does not draw too much current in order to give this massive power. It has an efficiency of around 80% -- And that's huge. It ensures that your car lights don't dim because your subs are kicking. The design employed by Alpine to achieve this also ensures the signal remains pure.

You can give this amp a bass boost at 45 Hz and this is adjustable in 2dB steps from 0 to 16.

It has a built-in Variable Crossover: First, this is what a crossover is...

A crossover is a device or passive circuit used in systems with separate tweeter and/or midrange speaker drivers. It blocks off certain (preselected) frequencies that a particular speaker shouldn't handle. This ensures that each speaker deals with a particular frequency range that it is most apt to handle.

So now you can understand the figures that follow.

The MRD-M605 has a built-in low-pass crossover which is adjustable from 30 to 200Hz with 13 settings. Just understand that a low-pass crossover allows low frequencies to pass.

It has a subsonic filter: There are subsonic sounds that are not crucial to the quality production of your lows (unless you are playing music for whales or elephants). These frequencies often drain massive power without adding positively to the audio experience. This filter removes those frequencies. It is switchable from 15Hz and 30Hz. It can also be turned off if you decide you are missing some essential rumbles otherwise.

The MRD-M605 supports multi-amp installation: This means you can use two of these amps to power a DVC woofer. Any amp can do this but a digital adjustment helps you ensure that the outputs are identical.

It has a 3-Way protection circuit: This is a circuit design that protects your amp from excessive current (popularly called short circuit), excessive voltage and overheating or thermal overload. The particular reason/cause for going into this "protect" mode is also shown in the LCD display.

With this display you can also monitor the DC input and the internal temperature in Fahrenheit or Celsius. It also shows audio information like EQ, gain, etc.

It has an aluminium hood that flips up to show the LCD display and control panel. This control has up and down buttons with which you can go through the menu and make adjustments on the amp. You can still see the LCD display when it is closed through a plastic window.

The The MRD-M605 has an RMS power rating (measured at 14.4V) of 400watts x 1 at 4ohms and 600watts x 1 at 2 ohms. The minimum impedance of this amp is 2 Ohms.

The only difference between the MRD-M605 and the MRD M1005 is the power rating...

RMS power rating (also measured at 14.4V) for the MRD M1005 is 700watts x 1 at 4ohms and 1000watts x 1 at 2ohms.

So if you need more power than the MRD-M605 can give, upgrade or choose the MRD M1005.

Ever wished you didn't have to take your car amp in for repairs every time a fault occurs? You wish you knew just what to do? Viola! Here are a few troubleshooting tips that can help you...

What to do when your amp goes into protect... The amp goes into protect whenever the volume is turned up most likely because the measure of resistance to vibration is too low. Another reason may be that the charging system is poor. A transistor problem may also cause an amp to go into protect.

To check out these faults, switch off the power supply to the amp. Using a multimeter that has been set to ohms, measure the resistance between the output transistor terminals. If there is any one that reads -0 ohms between any of the terminals, it needs to be removed from the circuit and checked. Once a transistor has failed it means that the whole group in the circuit is shorted and needs to be changed.

Also check the wiring of the speaker to see the resistance to vibration.

What to do when amp gets very hot/shuts down... This problem occurs when the input sensitivity(or gain) is set too high. If the impedance (resistance to vibration) is lower than the amp is rated for, it can also cause this problem or even permanent damage. The solution to this is to ensure that the gain is not tuned all the way up. Be sure to leave a bit of dial space between the maximum and where it is set. Also ensure that the speakers are connected to an impedance (resistance to vibration) that fits the amp.

What to do when your car amp does not turn on... This is a situation that often occurs when amps are set up. This could happen for the following reasons:-

A. The surface where the amp is set on.

B. The hook up of the remote wire.

First ensure that the amp is secured on a smooth metal that is clean and rust-free. The amp must also be snuggly fitted. Next, check and ensure that the remote wire is connected to the blue wire with the white stripe that is hooked up to the head unit and not the solid blue wire.

If the problem persists, it most likely would be that there are parts that are blown or shorted. I advised that you take it in to be tested to ascertain the problem.

What to do when your amp Volume goes down... Most new amps have protective devices that would keep the volume down when the amp begins to get very hot. If this occurs it means that the impedance and gain (input sensitivity) are not commensurate. Ensure that the gain is set correctly. (Refer to "What to do when amp gets very hot/shuts down").

What to when your alternator whines or there is noise through the speakers...

This is usually because the amp is not set on a smooth, clean and rust-free surface and that it is not snuggly fitted. If you check these and the noise persists you may need to get a noise suppressor.

In a another article, I talked about cradles, ipod kits and Icelink Plus. Now how do you mount them? The best way is to use a damage-free mounting solution. Here, I'll talk about dashmount brackets.

Dashmount brackets are metal brackets that are designed to help you mount things in your car without damaging the surface. They are vehicle-specific. This means that every car make has dashmount brackets designed specifically for it.{You can see a full list here or here}.

Usually they go into a vent or the side of the radio or the side of the console near the bottom of the radio -- obviously depending on the model. It depends on where it connects to the actual dashboard.

Usually how it works is that you put it in the space specified in the instructions. Using a screw (usually supplied with the dashmount), you can then be sure that everything fits in place securely.

The dashmount comes with a mounting frame that is actually designed with holes in it. Now these are designed so you can easily add a passive cradle, icelink plus or icelink FM.

These are pretty straightforward. They are just metal brackets that save you a lot of time. Add to that, they remove the necessity of drilling holes on your dashboard. That would leave a big mess with holes everywhere apart from the fact that such holes could invalidate your warranty.

Furthermore, If you ever decide to sell your car, you can remove it and no one will ever know you ever had something like that on your dashboard. This will save you money on the long run.

They are robust. However, they are designed to be stylish. So, apart from their functionality, they also look nice. They are designed to look as if they came with your car originally. That's why they are vehicle-specific. So don't worry about having a dull-looking lump of metal on your dashboard or wherever else you prefer to have your ipod while driving.

Car audio components are being improved each passing day to upgrade sound systems. If one does not opt for these improved components, then one might just be living in the past. These improved components add greater functionality to your car audio system.

These components are speakers, subwoofers, tweeters, amplifiers, ipod adapters and more. All these add another dimension to your audio system. You have the option of settling for your factory installed system, however, aftermarket systems are massively superior to factory systems. But that's by the way.

To take your car audio to another level, you'll need to add new speakers, upgrade your receiver, add tweeters, add an amplifier, install vibration dampers like dynamat, install bass blockers on your full-range component speakers, add equalizers and other signal processors -- the list goes on...

Adding new speakers to your audio system will alter your setup most dramatically (if done right). This is because your speakers are the most important units in your car audio set up. Also know that you need to add such that will fit your vehicle. This will prevent sound inbalance or damage to your audio system. What you install is what you get. If you install old age-stricken stuff, then you get old age-stricken sound.

Adding tweeters to your sound system improves your listening experience. A tweeter takes care of those sizzling highs that cannot be catered for by regular speakers. A crossover will help make your output stage a lot better.

Upgrading your receivers will ensure better sound and less distortion. This could include adding additional music sources like a portable DVD, a satellite radio tuner and more; through an auxiliary input.

You also need vibration dampers. Dynamats absorb the vibration caused by your car speakers and road noise. When these vibrations are absorbed, you can conveniently hear the music that comes out of your sound system without background noise.

If you're in for the best sound, you'll need to add a bass blocker. Installing bass blockers on your full range component speakers simply help to block the bass frequencies that your speakers cannot handle. They are installed on your speaker's wire. This helps remove distortion from your music.

Other steps you could take to improve your car audio output include making sure your subwoofers and speakers are in phase, changing the position or enclosure style of your subwoofer and avoiding extreme bass control boost.

Your subwoofers and speakers wired in phase helps give more balance to your sound. Make sure the positive and the negative sides are wired accordingly at both the receiver and the speakers.

Changing the enclosure style of your subwoofer actually depends on the type of bass sound you prefer. Some prefer a boomy bass; others prefer a low frequency bass. The position of your subwoofer will determine that.